The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Dahlia plant, botanically known as Dahlia variabilis, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name `Maryland`.
The new Dahlia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Hillegom, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new compact pot-type Dahlias that are basally branching, freely flowering, and with attractive inflorescence forms and colors.
The new Dahlia originated from a cross made by the Inventor of two unidentified proprietary Dahlia variabilis seedling selections in 1992. The cultivar `Maryland` was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Hillegom, The Netherlands.
Asexual reproduction of the new Dahlia by terminal cuttings harvested in Hillegom, The Netherlands, has shown that the unique features of this new Dahlia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.